TOKYO -- "Map apps" surpassed "phone calls" for the first time in a survey by a Tokyo consulting firm asking smartphone users about their most frequently utilized functions, with multiple responses possible.

JTB Tourism Research & Consulting Co. on Dec. 18 released the results of an online questionnaire on smartphone use and travel consumption conducted on Nov. 6 and 7 of 1,030 people aged 18 to 69 who utilize their smartphones for personal use and have made at least one domestic trip within the past year. The survey has been carried out annually since 2013, and this is the ninth edition after a hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic.

This fiscal year, "making phone calls" ranked ninth with 52.6%, down from fourth place with 64.5% last survey, while "using map apps" ranked fourth with 64.8%, up from fifth place at 62.6% in fiscal 2023. "Utilizing messaging and chat apps," which was the most popular, remained high at 81.8%, but the percentage decreased slightly from the previous survey at 85.5%. "Using video-sharing websites" was selected by 61.7% of respondents in fifth place, an increase in its ranking from ninth place last fiscal year at 58.9%.

Regarding information search methods, with multiple choices allowed, "entering keywords in search engines" was the most popular at 81.7%, followed by "entering information in map sites and apps" at 49.2% and "searching on video-sharing sites" at 47.1%.

The method of asking questions to "ChatGPT" or other generated AI was used by only 9.7% of respondents. However, 17.5% of men 29 years old and younger used this method, which was noticeably higher.

In terms of map app usage, with multiple choices permitted, "searching and checking where I want to go" (87.4%) exceeded "using the route guidance function" (64.2%).

The popular social media services used, in order, were Line at 88.6%, YouTube at 75.6%, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram at 52.7% each, and TikTok at 25%. Only Line showed a declining trend in the percentage, with notable decreases among women in their 20s and men in their 30s.

(Japanese original by Kazuki Sakuma, Business News Department)